Brew Notes

I had the opportunity to interview homebrewer Jay Shambo a few weeks before the Great American Beer Festival. We chatted about his pro-am beer, “More Fun Blonde,” he had brewed with New Belgium for the competition.

I wrote the article, filed it and frankly forgot all about the beer until the medals were announced and Shambo’s brew beat out 93 other beers taking home a gold medal. With the sudden attention, I figured it was worth a Brew Notes.

A teacher at Frontier Academy in Greeley by day, Shambo started brewing at home around 2006 when his wife gave him a kit. Clearly, six years’ experience has taught him a thing or two about brewing.

The brewery's line:

NA

Tasting notes:

Appearance: A light golden hue with low carbonation and a healthy head. It looks good in the glass.

Smell: The beer has a sweet fruity nose with hints of pear, passion fruit and wheat mixed in.

Taste: A sweet light blonde beer with a bit of bite to it. While smooth, it has some kick in the finish that I wasn’t expecting. There is a nutty spice and sweet pear flavor.

Mouthfeel: It is smooth, light, crisp and clean. Well carbonated and a bit of warmth to it.

Serving: Draft

Overall: This beer took me by surprise at first. It was a bit more aggressive in terms of spice and heat than I had originally anticipated. The underlying taste is good and the mix of fruit and spice mesh well. The finish bites, which I didn’t like.